Shoe tree



E. H. CLARK Jan. 6, 1942.

SHOE TREE Filed April 28, 1941 Edwardfl maria INVENgOR BY a iwwwf w ATTORNEYS WITNESS Patented Jan. 6, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOE'TREE EdwardH. Clark, Danville,llll.

Application April 28, 1941, Serial No. 390,832

3 Claims. This invention relates to shoe trees, and its general object is to provide a shoe tree or form tric light bulb supported therein to heat the air and cause circulation thereof by expansion, so as to ventilate the interior of the shoe and render the same dry, sanitary and free from odor.

A further object is to provide a shoe tree of the adjustable type that is equipped with heating meansfor the purpose set forth and itis simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and extremelyefficient'in use and service.

This invention alsoconsists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and. arrangement. of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawingand specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference .-will.be had to the accompanying drawing where- ;in like characters denotelike or corresponding parts throughout theseveral views, and in which:

,Figure 1 is a top plan view illustrating a pair .oftrees constructed in accordance with one form of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken approximately on line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure,3 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the body or toe portion of a modified form.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken through the form of Figure 4.

It will be obvious that the trees are furnished in pairs, one for each shoe of apair, and as each tree of each form is identical, the description of one tree of each form will SuffiCB.

Referring particularly to the form of Figures 1 to 3, it will be noted that the tree includes a hollow body 1 providing a toe membertapered in rounded formation toward its forward end and otherwise shaped to follow the shape of the upper portion to' the upper end of the vamp portion, as will be obvious upon inspection of Figure 1. The rear end and bottom of the body are completely open'as best shown in Figures 2 and 3 and the loweredge of the 'bodywill rest upon the sole of the shoe, so that the body actually provides what may be termed a heating chamber opening towardthe rear of the shoe only, when the tree is inserted therein.

Mounted in and fixed to the upper end portion of the body laterally of the longitudinal center thereof is an attaching bracket including depending parallel ears 2 having pivotally connected theretoone end of a link member 3 and pivotally connected to the opposite end of the member 3 is a threaded collar 4 having threaded therein a screw shank 5 of a substantially ball shaped heel receiving member 6. The forward end of the shank has a serrated abutment disk I fixed thereto to prevent removal of the shank from the collar and threaded on the shank is a locknut 8 to hold the shank fixed in adjusted positions.

Secured within the hollow body I by screws 9 or the like for disposal in bridging relation to the sides of the body is a supporting member III for the socket member ll of an electric light bulb I2, the member I0 being in the form of a partition having upper and lower longitudinally disposed recesses l3 and l4 therein to provide for the free passage of air into and out of the body as shown by the arrows in Figure 2. The ends of the supporting member l0 follow the shape of the body at the sides thereof for snugly fitting the same and the member 10 is provided with an opening for the socket member I I, the latter being mounted-in the opening and provided with a flanged cap l5, with the flange l6 thereof engaged with the rear face of the supporting member to cooperate with the flange ll of the body of the socket member, that engages the front face, to prevent casual removal thereof from the member ID, as will be apparent upon inspection of of a shoe at the toe and vamp portions thereof,

and of a length to extend'from the tip of the toe Figure 2. However, the cap of the socket member is threaded on the body thereof so as to allow ready removal for replacement or repairs.

The opening is arranged so that the bulb is elevated a considerable distance above the lower edge of the body and consequently above the shoe sole when the tree is in use, and the bulb is spaced from the wall of the body so as to provide complete circulation of air about the same. Adhesively or otherwise secured to the inner face of the upper wall of the body to overlie the bulb is a piece [8 of sheet asbestos to prevent the top of the body from being overheated by the heated air rising from the bulb and so that the heat will be more readily deflected for passage through the recess l3.

The form of tree of Figures 4 and 5 is identical to the other form in all respects, with the exception that instead of having a supporting member in the form of a partition, for the light bulb, the supporting member of the form of Figures 4 and 5 is provided by a tongue 19 struck from the rear end portion of the body or toe portion 20 adjacent the top thereof, and bent downwardly for disposal in depending relation therefrom. The tongue is of a length to terminate above the lower edge of the body 2|] and has an opening therein with a socket member 2i mounted within the opening and held accordingly by,

circuit to the light bulbs, as will be apparent.

By that arrangement, it will be obvious that a pair of trees can be associated and electrically connected to a single unit. 7

From the foregoing, it will be further obvious that when the trees are inserted within a pair of shoes and the bulbs illuminated, the air within the bodies I or 20 as the case may be will be heated and caused to expand, to bring about circulation of the air through the body, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 2, thus ventilating the interior of the shoes for the purpose set forth, and at the same time the shoes are held in proper shape through the instrumentality of the bodies and the ball shaped heel receiving members 6.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided thatsuch changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A shoe tree comprising a hollow body providing a toe member shaped to fit the toe and vamp portions of a shoe and having an open rear end and bottom, adjustable heel receiving means pivotally connected to the body, vertical supporting means fixed within the body and spaced a considerable distance from the rear end thereof, said supporting means being also spaced from the inner face of certain wall portions of the body to allow free passage of air into and out of the body, an electric socket member fixed to the supporting means, a conductor cord connected to the socket member, a light bulb mounted in the socket member to heat the air within the body to bring about circulation thereof to ventilate the shoe, and a sheet of asbestos secured to the inner face of the upper wall of the body and overlying the bulb.

2. A shoe tree comprising a hollow body providing a toe member shaped to fit the toe and vamp portions of a shoe and having an open rear end and bottom, adjustable heel receiving means connected to the body, supporting means within the body and being in the form of a partition bridging said body and fixed thereto, said supporting means having an opening therein and formed with a pair of elongated recesses extending longitudinally along the upper and lower portions of the supporting means, the lower recess providing an air inlet and the upper recess an air outlet cooperating with the inlet for free passage of air into and out of the body, an electric socket member fixed Within the opening, a conductor cord connected to the socket member, a light bulb mounted in the socket member for disposal horizontally within the body inwardly of the supporting means to heat the air in the body to bring about circulation thereof to ventilate the shoe, and a sheet of heat resisting material overlying the bulb,

3. A shoe tree comprising a hollow body formed from sheet material to provide a toe member shaped to fit the toe and vamp portions of a shoe and having an open rear end and bottom, adjustable heel receiving means pivotally connected to the body, a tongue struck from the rear end of the body and along the length of the upper portion thereof and being bent for disposal in depending relation from the body, said tongue having an opening therein and being of a width to be spaced fromthe sides of the body to allow for free passage of air intov and out of the body, an electric light socket member fixed within the opening, a conductor connected to the socket member, a light bulb mounted in the socket for' disposal horizontally within the body inwardly of the tongue to heat the air in the body to bring about circulation thereof to ventilate the shoe, and a sheet of heat resisting material overlying the bulb.

' EDWARD H. CLARK. 

